Buckwild' star Shain Gandee funeral draws hundreds

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Hundreds of camouflage-clad friends, fans, fellow cast and family members queued through the auditorium where a flower-draped closed casket adorned with family photos held the body of "Buckwild" cast member Shain Gandee.

"A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams Jr. rang through speakers in the Charleston Municipal Auditorium as Gandee's life played out in a photo slideshow on the back screen.

Photos of hunting conquests, dozens of friends -- many of whom were girls -- high school graduation, youth football and weddings cycled behind a "RIP Shain Gandee 1991-2013" black title card.

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Others captured Gandee sticking his tongue out, lying on his truck or striking a pose in a camouflage suit as somber country ballads serenaded guests.

Gandee, 21, his uncle David Gandee, 48, and friend Robert Myers, 27, were found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in Shain's Ford Bronco, which was partially submerged in a mud hole near Shain's Sissonville area home on April 1. They had been missing since 3 a.m. and were last seen leaving a local bar after telling others they were going

off-roading.

Shain, nicknamed "Gandee Candy," was the lovable country boy in MTV's "Buckwild," which showcased a group of young West Virginians "mudding," partying and enjoying their redneck lifestyle. It was filmed in the Charleston and Sissonville area.

Neon-colored T-shirts donning the Gandee Candy logo, his family candy company, dotted the auditorium Sunday as the Rev. Randy Campbell thanked family and friends for celebrating the lives of Shain and David, who had a jointfuneral Sunday.

"We come to this place to celebrate and remember the lives of David and Shain. God, I pray Lord, your grace will be sufficient for the Gandee family. God, for the extended family," he said.

"As the Gandee family pastor, this has been a hard week for them. A hard week for all of us. You never do imagine that death is going to creep in when it does ... As quickly as it begins, it can end."

His obituary, which Campbell read aloud for those in attendance, echoes the on-screen Shain.

"Shain loved to four-wheel and loved anything that involved mud, wheels and motors. He was an avid hunter and loved to make people laugh 'Cause it's Trick or Treat all year round.'

He hated school but loved many of his teachers, especially Mrs. Victoria Robb, and his friends."

Family asked mourners to wear camouflage in honor of Shain, and many large, trucks and SUVs caked with mud speckled the auditorium parking lot. Teary-eyed men, women and children exchanged embraces and hardy pats on the back. Small pockets of conversation reminisced about better times with Shain.

Shain's mother, Loretta, sang "I Keep Praying" because she said Shain loved to hear her sing. As she raised her hand while in song, it elicited a round of applause from those in attendance. She gave a heartfelt pat on the top of her son's wooden casket, as well as David's, before heading off stage.

The Rev. Walter Means spoke of his attendance in a Christmas play and reassured everyone that he had been baptized.

He offered parting words for attendees before the crowd, which spilled into the upper balcony, dispersed, unleashing those who had waited in line around the block hours before the service started and stayed for the hour-long ceremony.

Parallel Entertainment and Zoo Productions, the companies that produce "Buckwild," planned to pay for funeral costs for Shain. Production on Season 2 of "Buckwild" had started, but Parallel Entertainment CEO J.P. Williams said they were not shooting at the time of the accident. Filming since has been halted.